Motor vehicle wheel truck



Slept. 16, 1952 v R. o. HULBERT 2,610,750

MOTOR VEHICLEWHEEL TRUCK Filed oct. 1, 1948 2 sHEETs-SHEET 2 Patented Sept. 16, 1952 UNITED lS'il'iilflZ-"S GFFICE -'.zxnoffso n l f 'Moron ,vii'moLE WHEEL .'Ti'te'i jrufen oiiiibert, Asmeisuia, Lome napnee'tieaneteber 1, 194s, serial Nasasos in claims. (cina-*sei The present invention relates 'to wheel trucks for motor vehicles and the like.

More particularly, the invention provides a low, wheeled carriage lfor individually supporting one of the wheels of a road1vehicle, such las anautomobile or a motor truck, so 'that'the -wheel thus supported, and the vehicle Von which .it is kmouz-ited, may be moved short distances Tin a shop, parking garage or the like, in 'any direction with# 'out rotation of the vehicle wheel. c

The trucks contemplated by the invention are intended to be used in sets lof two or four, with each truck supporting a single wheel of the vehicle, so that a vehicle thus mounted can lbe rolled in any direction, including direct sidewise movement, for facilitating stowing itin a park'- ing space or moving it Vacross the oorof a repair shop.

Important objects of the invention are to pr' vide a truck of the character indicated which will be simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture, which will be 'strong and durable so as to withstand the heavy loads imposed on it by large vehicles and ther'ongh treatment cornmo'n in repair shops, parking garages `and the like, that will be light in weight and easily ,han` dled, that will be simple to operate, to receive and discharge 'a vehicle by running the same onto and oi the truck and, most importantly,

which will include means Vfor holding the vehicle 'x wheel captive onth'e truck against all pulling and pushing forces which may 'be 'applied to the vehicle to roll it While mounted on thetrucl;y or a set of trucks.

A'rh-e latter feature er the invention comprises use of a combination ramp and holding -member which in one position guides the vehicle wheel up onto the bed of the truck carriage and which in another position locks the wheel of the carriage.

-An important feature 'of this combination ineinber is the ease with which Ait may be moved between its two positions so that lt is an extrme# ly simple matter to prepare the" truck to receive the vehicle wheel 'to lock' vthe wheel in place on the truck or to prepare the 'tiuckfso that the wheel may be rolled back "ofi it.

The truck is provided with rollingmean's, which are preferably casters 'mounted on 'its under side. Since the trucks are usually used in pairs ori in sets of four, it is desirable to fornil them in -a Way that will permit neat and secure stacking of La plurality of them comprising a set. The structure provided by the present invention includes vnovel and eiective stacking" elements by vhich Athe several trucks of4 1a' set may supe'rposed on each Vother lneatly and Vsecurely Aa ga'i`r i st any tendency to become accidentally displaced.

Other "objects are concerned with providing adequate traction between the truck lramp and the tire oi a vehicle, and lbetween the ramnand the v iloor on whiohit is used, so as to keepfthe truck V'from rollingforwardly away `from a wheel which is soughtto'berolled ugento it and from rolling back with a Wheel which is `vsought to be rolledback voit' it;

tion to -recelvea vehicle `wheel which is being rolled up ontothe bed of the truck.

Fig.- 3l is Aa front elevational view, tak-en 'f'om the right handside of Fig. L;

Fig. 4 is aA longit dinaleentra'l sectional view, taken on the line 4 4 of Fig; showing a vehicle wheel in 'place en the truck, withthecombination ramp andholding membershown in full lines in its position for guiding the wheel onto or ofi the truek and show n in broken li-n es in its position for holding the wheel op the truck;

5 is a transversecrossesectional view taken on the line -5 o; Eig.- l, showing the vehicle wheel'in place on the truck-:-

Fig. 6 is a relatively4 enlarged detail longitudinal sectional view of the rear end portionot the truck showing in full and broken lines the two terminal positions of the combinationramp and holding member; and

Fig. 7 is 'a relatively enlarged detail sectional View of a sidev rail oi'- the truck showing vone of the stacking elements; i

Generally speaking, the invention comprises a small carriage provided with rolling supports such as casters and including a bed for mounting a vehicle wheel and having at one end fixed means for keeping the Wheel from rolling oi the truck and at its other en d a movable element for holding the wheel on the' trucl; or serving as a ramp over which the wheel can be run ontoor off the truck;4 f

In the draw-ings, reference numeral i designates a generally trough-shaped body, bestv made integrally of steel or some lighter metal,-compris ing a pair 'of ,parallel longitudinalside rails 2 and a depressed 'central bed 3 which is wide enough yand long enough to accommodate Vthe 3 tire or wheel 4 of a vehicle. The length of the carriage, like its width, is not critical, as long as both dimensions are adequate to receive any tire or wheel 4 (hereinafter called simply a wheel) within the range of sizes with which the truck is to be used.

The carriage is mounted with its bed 3 elevated above the floor sufficiently to be moved over the iioor and in order to provide for this elevated position and the ability to be rolled, the carriage is equipped with wheels or the equivalent. I prefer to employ swivelled casters 5, one positioned at each of the four corners of the structure as by having their bases welded or otherwise strongly attached to the under side of the side rails 2.

One end of the carriage, which may be regarded as its front end, shown at the right hand side of Fig. 1, may be braced and closed by a stout cross bar 6 welded to the upper surfaces of the end portions of the side rails 2. This bar serves as a stop for keeping the vehicle wheel 4, after it is positioned on the bed 3, from rolling ofi the front end of the carriage, as will be evident from Fig. 4. It serves also to brace and strengthen the front end of the carriage and it permits a portion of the front end of the bed 3 and of the side walls 1, 1 which connect the bed with the side rails to be cut out and removed to decrease the weight of the structure. It will be observed from Fig. Il that this cut-out is short enough in the lengthwise direction of the structure to leave the bed 3 long enough to support the wheel 4.

The opposite end of the carriage, which may be regarded as its rear end, shown at the left hand side of Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 6, is provided with means serving the combined functions of a ramp for guiding the wheel 4 up onto the bed and permitting it to be rolled back therefrom and, when the means is moved to another position, to hold the wheel on the bed, thus cooperating with the bar 6 and the side rails 2, 2 to maintain the wheel in the four-sided pocket or closed-end trough formed by the side rails, the bar, and the combination ramp and holding means.

This combination member, generally designated 8, comprises a stout metal hinge of the fast-pin butt type, having one of its leaves or plates 9 welded to the under side of thebed 3, with its eyes III which hold the pin II butted against the transverse end edge of the bed 3 and with the cooperating leaf or plate I2 movable to the downwardly inclined position shown in full lines in Fig. 6 and swinga-ble therefrom about the pivot pin I I to the elevated position shown in broken lines in that figure.

Themember 8 need not be as wide as the bed 3, and the bed may be cut back at its rear end, somewhat in the manner in which the front end is cut back, as best show-n in Figs. 1 and 6, so that the movable plate I2 of the member is largely encased within the over-all length of the carriage. A hinge of the relative width shown in Fig. 1 has been found Wide enough to give good support to the tire of a Wheel 4 when rolled centrally over it, as suggested by Fig. 5.

The plate I2 of the combination member has welded or otherwise attached to its under surface a block I3, shaped and proportioned to present a square or fiat surface that will rest on the Iioor when the plate I2 is lowered and its free edge rests on the floor. Thus the plate I2 is adequately supported for withstanding the weight of the vehicle wheel rolling over it. Y

The upper surface of the plate I2 haswelded to it a block I4 of triangular cross section, as best shown in Fig. 6. This block is low enough to offer no appreciable obstruction to a wheel 4 of the smallest size which the truck is to handle. Its function is to serve as a limiting stop for fixing the angle of the plate I2 when swung to its upturned position as shown in broken lines in Fig. 6. In this position the block I4 seats on a block I5 which is welded across .the rear margin of the uppersurface of the bed 3. The proportions of the two blocks are such that when the block I4 is engaged with the top of the block I5, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 6, the plate I2 will make with'the bed 3 an acute angle which is small enough to cause the plate I2 to obstruct the wheel 4, positioned on the bed 3, and keep the wheel from rolling back off the bed.

It will be recognized that the value of this angle is of some importance. On purely theoretical considerations it is probable that the angle should be such that the plane of the upraised leaf I2 should pass slightly below the center of curvature of the wheel 4. However, I have found that in actual practice the angle need not be so acute. Apparently the angle can be larger because of the yieldability of the rubber tire with which the Wheel 4 is almost invariably equipped, and probably also because of the coeflicient of friction between the rubber of the tire and the metal of the plate I2. In other words, when the tire tends to roll back against the upturned plate, the plate seats itself in a depression which it forms in the tire, and this depressed engagement, along with the friction of the rubber on the metal. effectively keeps the plate I2 from swinging down and permitting the tire to roll back off the bed. I have found that an angle of 65 between the 'ced 3 and the upturned plate I2 is entirely satisfactory. Hence, I specify that this angle should be substantially 65, more or less, but of course any angle which is small enough to keep the plate from being pushed back down to its ramp position and great enough to keep the wheel from rolling over the upturned plate is correct and within the principle of the invention.

Of course it is the position and size of the blocks I4 and I5 which determine the angle in question. While this determination could be effected theoretically by a single block formed on the upper surface of the plate I2, without a cooperating block I5 secured to the bed 3, I prefer to employ the combination of the two blocks I4 and I5. This division of the blocking members enables me to make the block I4 in a size which will not interfere appreciablywith the rolling of the Wheel 4 over the ramp. It also enables me t'o locate the block I4 farther 'away from the hinge pin II, so that there is less leverage about this pin and less strain imposed on it and on the eyes I0 by any force or blow vwhich may be directed against the edge of the upturned plate I2 tending to move it from left to right, as seen in Fig. 6. The size of the block I5, like that of the block I4, is not great enough to vinterfere appreciably with rolling the'wheel 4 over it.

To strengthen the rear end portion of the carriage, a pair of braces I6 may be welded to the edges of the side rails 2 and to the adjacent side edges of the bed 3, thus securely trussing the rear portion of the carriage and making it as strongly braced as the front end portion is by the bar 6.

As has been stated hereinabove, the carriage ls provided with means for facilitating stacking a 'set o'f the trucks in superposed relation. "This `means may comprise a vsha1-low well orr pocket formed by ia low cylinder or ring I1 welded `orr "otherwise secured to thetop ysurface Vof each of the 4side rails VZidirect-ly above each of the caster bases `so that 4each caster ofv a truck *may vbe set 'in the Vcorresponding wel-l or pocket of another tru-ck and thu-s kept from rollingoi the supporting truck;

'In use, `the vleaf yor plate -I'2 constituting vthe i.

combination `rarnp'and rlocking 'member is lowered vandpla'ced infront of-fa Awheelfll as shown in Fig. '2 Aand the vehicle is rolled up the ramp and `onto 'the bed 3. Generally-at leastftwo trucks are used simultaneously, A'for .both of the iront wheels Yor both Ao'fthe -rear 'wheels of la Avehicle, and *fre- Jquentlyt `four A'trucks lare 'used simultaneously fso "as to 'support Aall the wheels ci the'vehicle. When two trucks are employed, the vehicle can yeasily ibe 'swung pivotally about a point more 'or less central of Vits unsupported end. When four 'trucks areusedthe vehicle `c'an'be rolled in any direction, including straight sidewise directions.

With the vehicle wheel 4 rolled forward on the bed?. vuntil it 'more 'or vless `engages the front vbar 5, the'plate I2 'israis'ed ,to lits'brOken line position in Fig. 6, in which position it securely holds the wheel I in place; Rearward rolling of the wheel is prevented because the upturned free end of the plate becomes engaged by the tire of the Wheel and becausey the angle which the plate makes with the periphery of th'etire is such that pressure from'the tire will tend to press the block I4 against the block I5 and not to swing the plate back to 'its Afull line position of Fig. 6.

The plate canbe kickec'lupvery readily iby 'the .foot of an operator 4and can befkicked down just .as easily. n

`Whena vehicle wheelis being rolled up 'the ramp the truck is kept from moving iiorwardly by engagement of'th'e uppermost corner IB of the block I4 with the vtire 'of the wheel. This corner seats .itself inthe relativelysofttire tread, thus .acting .asia .cleat'whi'ch givesltracti'on to the wheel 'and keeps the 'ramp and 'the truck from being squeezed out or pushed forward ahead 'of 'the wheel. Thus it is unnecessary to anchor the truck on the floor when a vehicle is to be rolled onto it.

When a vehicle wheel is being rolled vback o the bed there is some tendency for the truck to roll back with the vehicle. However, this tendency is entirely offset and backward rolling of the truck is prevented by the rear corner I9 of the block I3 which tends to bite into the iioor or to seat itself against any slight irregularity in the floor surface. Thus the floor oiers enough resistance to backward rolling of the truck to permit the wheel 4 to roll up over the bar I5 without pushing the truck back, so that it is unnecessary to anchor the truck onto the floor when a vehicle is to be rolled oi it.

From the foregoing it is believed that the structure, uses and advantages of the invention will be evident to those skilled in the art. It is to be understood that, as explained hereinabove, the illustrated embodiment is simply one form which the invention may take, although it is the presently preferred form which I have used in actual practice with entire satisfaction, and that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the inventive principles.

I claim:

l. In a motor vehicle wheel truck, a wheeled 'carriage bodyjhaving a lhorizontalpbed :for supporting a vehicle wheel, `and -a :ramp .having ,an extreme end Iedge hinged to onefend .of the hed yand having fon its upper surface 'block means nfcluding a portioncarried bythe uppersurfacecf the ramp adapted, whentheramp is'swung upwardlyL-tor engage the bed and thereby limit said swinging movement to a position vof the rampin which it *overhangs the bed fand 'makes with .the bed-'an acute angle small enough fort/he free-end 'of the ramp to 'be depressed into the tread-surface 'of the vehicle wheel andlthereby `obstruct 'rolling yof the vehicle wheelback off-the bed.

2. In a motor vehicle wheel `truck, a wheeled lcarriage body having a horizontal bedffor sur porting Va vehicle wheel, land '1a-ramp having an extreme end 4edge -hinged 'to end fof fthe hed and having on 'its 'under surracea lblockicr v'su-nportlng the ramp in Ia `position upwardly in- .fclined to thebed and having-on its surface a rblock adapted, 'when --theframp `is swung '-upwardly, to limitsaid'swingi-ng movement to a po- 'sition of the 'ramp lin -whichit -overhangs the bed 4andmakes with the bed an -acute angle small `enough for the `free vend of the ramp to be -de- Ypressed into the tread surface lof the vehicle wheel `and thereby obstruct rolling Kpf the vehicle Wheel'back off thebed.

3. In a motor vehicle vv-heel"truckl a wheeled carriage body having va 'horizontalbedlor supporting `a vehicle wheel, a "block mounted on ione .end vportieri ofthe bed, -a'ramphaving an extreme yend edge hinged tensa-id vend portion Yof the lbed, and 'a block mounted onthe upper surface of the yramp adapted, when'the ramp is swung-upwardly. to engage said bed block and limit the ramp 'to a 4position in iwhich 'it overhangs lthe bed and makes with-'the bed an acute angle small enough Vfor the free end ofthe the iranno to -be rdepressed Sinto the tread surface of vthe vehicle wheel -and thereby obstruct-rolling'of the vehicle wheel back upper ysurface "of "the `ramp adapted, when the ramp is swung upwardly, to engage said bed block :and limit the ramp to a position in which it overhangs the bed and makes with the bed an acute angle small enough for the free end of the ramp to be depressed into the tread surface of the vehicle wheel and thereby obstruct rolling of the vehicle wheel back off the bed.

5. In a motor vehicle wheel truck, a wheeled carriage body having a horizontal ybed for supporting a vehicle wheel, a bar disposed across one end of the bed, a block mounted on the other end portion, a ramp having an extreme end edge hinged to said end portion, a block mounted on 6. A motor vehicle wheel truck including a wheeled carriage, a ramp plate having an extreme end plate hinged to one end of the carriage and adapted to be lowered to engage its free end with the oor supporting the truck, a block secured to the under side of the ramp plate for supporting the same on the floor and having an edge adapted to make biting contact with the iloor to prevent undesired backward movement of the truck when a vehicle wheel is being rolled off the carriage, and a block secured to the upper surface of the ramp plate adapted to provide traction for a vehicle wheel which is being rolled up onto the carriage and prevent; undesired forward movement of the truck.

7. A motor vehicle wheel truck comprising a carriage, a plurality of casters mounted on the under side of the carriage for supporting the same for rolling on a oor or the like, and the upper surface of the carriage being provided with a plurality of pockets for receiving the casters of a superposed truck stacked thereon.

8. A motor Vehicle wheel truck comprising a carriage, a plurality of casters mounted on the under side of the carriage for supporting the same for rolling on a floor or the like, and a plurality of cups mounted on the upper surface of the carriage for receiving the casters of a superposed truck stacked thereon.

9. A motor vehicle wheel truck comprising a wheeled carriage body having a xed horizontal elevated bed for supporting a vehicle wheel, a ramp having an extreme end edge hinged to one end of the bed and having its free end normally resting on the ground so that a vehicle wheel may be rolled up the ramp and mounted on the bed and being manually swingable about its hinged end, and an abutment for limiting upward swinging movement of the ramp to a raised position in which the ramp overhangs the bed and makes with the bed an acute angle small enough for the free end of the ramp to impinge against the mounted vehicle wheel and thereby obstruct rolling of the wheel back oif the bed.

10. A motor vehicle wheel truck as claimed in claim 9 in which the ramp when swung to its raised position overhanging the bed makes with the bed an angle of approximately 65.

11. A motor vehicle wheel truck as claimed in claim 9 including a bar disposed across the end of the bed opposite the end to which the ramp 8 is hinged, said bar cooperating with the bed and raised ramp to cradle the vehicle wheel on the bed.

12. A motor vehicle wheel truck as claimed in claim 9 in which the ramp when swung to its raised position overhanging the bed makes with the bed an angle of approximately and including a bar disposed across the end of the bed opposite the end to which the ramp is hinged, said bar cooperating with the bar and raised ramp to cradle the vehicle wheel on the bed.

13. A motor vehicle wheel truck comprising a Wheeled carriage body having a fixed bed for supporting a vehicle wheel having at one end an elevated wheel-retaining abutment and having at its opposite end a ramp having one extreme end edge hinged to said opposite end o! the bed with the other end edge of the ramp adapted to rest on the ground to provide a runway up which the vehicle wheel may be rolled on to the bed, and means limiting upward swinging movement of the ramp to a position in which the ramp overhangs the bed and makes with the bed an acute angle small enough for the free end oi' the ramp to cooperate with said abutment to hold the vehicle wheel cradled on the bed between said abutment and the free end of the ramp.

REED O. HULBERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,432,165 Andrews et al Jan. 29, 1924 1,536 611 Duke May 5. 1925 1,777,694 Halteman Oct. 7. 1930 2,198,438 Knapp Apr. 23, 1940 2,246,882 Gentry June 24, 1941 2,247,717 Sutter July 1, 1941 2,358,864 Lockwood Sept. 26, 1944 2,414,383 Merriam Jan. 14, 1947 2,443,480 Schwitze'r et al June 15, 1948 2,452,355 Colt, Jr Oct. 26, 1948 2,463,744 Clemens Mar. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 655,912 France Dec. 22, 1928 

